Snow
by hello heartbreak
Summary: Broken hearts take time to heal. — AU
1. Prelude

_Author's notes: My first Digimon fic. Please review, but be gentle… _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Damn._

* * *

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

He reached out to touch her orange hair one last time. Almost immediately, she pulled away, as if she had just been burnt by a flame. Silently, he withdrew his hand and smiled. She tried to hide it, but he saw the relief in her eyes, relieved that he had accepted it so easily. As the first snow of winter began to fall, he turned and walked away quickly. He didn't want her to see him shattering.

Taichi opened his eyes. Below him, he could feel Hikari's slow and rhythmic breathing. He climbed down the upper bunk in which he slept in as nimbly and quietly as he could. The old bed creaked anyway. Hikari stirred but remained in her slumber. Her elder brother shuffled across the hallway and into the kitchen. He knocked into a doorframe and cursed. Rubbing his shoulder, Taichi looked out of the window. It was snowing.

* * *

Mimi blew at her hands. It didn't do much to keep her warm in the freezing wind. The short skirt of a uniform worsened the situation. Why the hell had she returned to Japan? Gathering her scarf around her, she trudged all the way to school.The classroom door was slammed open as a shivering girl stomped in, her face stony with rage. She announced in accented Japanese, "Tachikawa Mimi, transfer student from America!" Her eyes scanned the classroom even though she knew there was a slim chance of finding anyone she knew. She stopped at a brown mob of hair on the table. This particular student didn't seem to find lessons very interesting. At that moment a friend of his kicked his chair and he jerked up, leaving a puddle of drool on his desk. His brown eyes were still half-closed. Mimi stared at him in disbelief. "Taichi?!"

* * *

At lunch, a hazel-haired girl was found lying on a bench, her face hidden from the rest of the world. She was too embarrassed to look at anyone else anyway. Beside her sat three seniors. Those of her age looked at her enviously. It didn't make sense to them. She was new, and yet she seemed to be so familiar and casual with these three older students. 

"Mimi, it's not so bad…" said Sora amusedly. The blond beside her stifled a laugh. Mimi glowered at him. Today was her first day in this school and she had made far too many mistakes. Stupid mistakes.

Firstly, she had stepped into the wrong classroom – Taichi's class. The teacher had kindly referred her to the Head of Form who led her to her proper classroom. Secondly, she was wearing her summer uniform, thus she had to go through that cold ordeal in the morning. Thirdly, she had forgotten to bring her textbooks for the day. She groaned as she reflected upon her idiocy.

"Ishida-kun, there's a jamming session on today as well - don't forget to turn up!" another senior called out to the blond sitting opposite Mimi. He nodded back in his usual cool manner. Ishida Yamato hadn't changed at all, since the last time she saw him. Or perhaps he had, as she noticed the twinkle in his eyes that never used to be there even when she had tried so hard to make him happy. Then she saw the similar twinkle in Sora's eyes and she knew why.

A loud snore from next to her broke through her thoughts. Yamato reached across the table and smacked Taichi's head. His eyelids flickered open as his vision shifted into focus.

"Ah, hi Yamato," he said, yawning. The other three shook their heads in exasperation. Taichi hadn't changed either. He was still that clumsy, hot-headed leader they had followed in the Digital World. Well, except that he had exchanged those horrible goggles for a nicer looking bandanna. The blue cloth was drowning in his sea of brown hair. Mimi straightened up. Her back ached from lying on the hard bench for too long.

"Why're you so sleepy?" she questioned Taichi, who was beginning to drift into dreamland again. His expression hardened as he replied that he couldn't sleep because it had begun snowing and the heater at home had broken down. It was then that she saw the way he glanced at the couple before him, and the pain in his brown eyes. Or perhaps it was just the dim lighting.

When Mimi visited Hikari that evening when Taichi was having soccer practice, she noticed that their heater was working perfectly.

* * *

Three years. Three years had passed since things had started falling apart for Taichi. Those who had accompanied and lent a hand to him on the quest through an unknown world were scattering. Both Daisuke and Koushirou had moved to other cities. Jyou had gone overseas to further his studies a doctor. Ever since they had graduated to high school, the younger ones seemed somewhat distant and cut off due to different schedules. He didn't even get to meet Hikari much, except during dinner. And Sora, well, she had decided that Yamato was a better choice than Taichi. Mimi never indicated anything, but somehow he guessed that this had caused her to return to America without telling anyone. 

He turned the shower tap off and dripped his way into the bedroom he shared with Hikari. The whole house was so empty. His parents hadn't been on good terms for a rather long time already. Three years, he realized. Strange, how bad things seemed to come all at once. Okaa-san was staying at her mother's place, and called back ever so often to check on the siblings. Otou-san devoted himself to work, and was seldom at home. Now he understood what turmoil Yamato and Takeru went through. Perhaps things were better this way; enabling both sides to simmer down and sort things out.

Hikari hadn't taken it as well as her brother. When she learnt that her mother wasn't going to be staying with them for a while, she ran away from home for an entire week. Fortunately, it was Miyako's house she had escaped to, and after much patient coaxing, she decided to return. But she was never really the same Hikari who shone with such brilliance like her crest of Light. Together with this shock came another wave which hit her even harder than the first. Takeru had broken up with her. She consoled herself by saying that they weren't even an official couple in the first place, but everyone knew that they were much more than merely sharing the bond being the youngest of the eight digidestined.

From then on, even Hikari, who always seemed to lighten the mood in the house, began to come home later and later, as if she was avoiding the loneliness of the apartment the Yagami family shared. Taichi couldn't blame her; he felt the same. Thus, the request for extra training. The rest of the team thought he had finally gone crazy, but at least he wouldn't feel guilty about returning home so late. Not that his father cared much.

Even the electric light in his room had blown out, as though the gloom in the house was too much for a mere light bulb to bear. Sighing in annoyance, he stuffed his homework back into his bag. He would just have to copy from someone tomorrow morning. Days without training were so dreary. It was still snowing.

_

* * *

_

_Revised: 16th September 2007  
_


	2. Ordeal

_Author's notes: Second chapter up. I know the name of the chapter sucks. Cookies for those who reviewed! They're very special cookies; with icing all over! Bear with me; I'm just trying to get into Mimi's ditzy mood to write._

_To digilover: I'm not very sure if this fic is going to be Taimi, so you'll just have to read and see! And I'll try to put in more dialogue._

**Disclaimer:** The song below is hanabi, by Hamasaki Ayumi. I don't own it.

* * *

_I look up at the blurry sky _

_So that my tears don't overflow _

_Why can't people live _

_As they want to? _

_A weak heart that's unable to cry _

_Doesn't need the strength to keep from crying _

_I look for a shooting star _

_To place my wish on _

_But the dawn comes too soon _

_And I'm unable to find one _

_The reason there isn't a day _

_When I remember you _

_Is because I haven't forgotten you for a moment_

_It's become a habit to say it's alright _

_Whenever I come across something sad _

_Something stopped on that day _

_For me, and now _

_No matter how much I pray _

_I can't see a single star_

_I miss you, I miss you _

_Only in my memory your smile is too tender _

_There's nothing I can do_

_I miss you – I miss you – I miss you – I miss you – I miss – I miss – I miss…_

Mimi threw a pillow at her CD player. Stupid song. Even her CDs were mocking her. So what if she still missed that asshole? So what if he didn't even know or _care _that she couldn't forget him? So what if he was already in love with someone else who coincidentally was one of her best friends? She buried her head in her pillow and willed her tears to stop. Crying wouldn't bring Yamato back to her side.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Taichi braced himself and was about to kick the front door open when it unlatched suddenly.

"Onii-chan, did you forget to bring the keys out again?" came a familiar voice. The door opened slightly as Hikari poked her head out.

That was rare. She was home already. And what was that smell- she'd even cooked dinner. There was something fishy about this. He would just have to try and coax it out of her over dinner.

The two siblings ate in silence for a period of time before Taichi tried to make conversation. Perhaps they'd not been in each other's company for too long a time. Strange that the first thing he said was, "It's still snowing out there."

Hikari looked up and gazed at him indifferently.

"I know," she replied simply. That cut off their weak stream of conversation.

After both of them had somewhat finished eating, Hikari cleared their plates and went into the kitchen to wash the dishes. Her brother cursed himself for not trying hard enough to salvage their sibling relationship. But then again, he knew that things would never return to what they were before.

* * *

"ARGHHHHHHHHH!!! I DON'T CARE ANYMORE!!" yelled Mimi while standing on a bench. The whole canteen turned to look at her. Her three companions sighed. How long has it been since they last experienced one of Mimi's tantrums?

"I HATE JAPANESE. WHY DO WE HAVE TO LEARN JAPANESE? ARGHHHHHH!!!" she continued, now jumping on the bench. Onlookers observed that she had a remarkable sense of balance.

"She failed her first Japanese paper," Sora mouthed to Yamato and Taichi. Or rather, Sora mouthed to Yamato and a _sleeping _Taichi. Trust him to sleep through all that noise.

By the time Mimi had finally vented out all her anger, most spectators had gotten sick of her rantings and had gone back to doing their own stuff. She got down from the bench and sat down.

"I can give you tuition," offered Sora, smiling. Mimi visioned herself giving her orange-haired friend a tight slap across her pretty face. She blinked and wondered where that idea came from.

"How about a study group?" Yamato suggested while smacking Taichi's head simultaneously.

Mimi's jaw dropped as Sora nodded eagerly and decided for all four of them. It was at that moment that Taichi chose to wake up.

"So it's settled then, Saturday 9 o'clock in the morning, at Yamato's house. It's to prepare for your test next week, Mimi."

Both Taichi and Mimi stared blankly at the couple sitting before them as they struggled to absorb what they'd just heard.

* * *

Saturday, 8.55 in the morning, Mimi stood outside Yamato's front door contemplating on whether she should ring the doorbell or run away screaming that she didn't want to live anymore. Before she made her decision, Sora appeared in the doorway, inviting her to come in. Like a wife. Like _Yamato's _wife. Mimi stepped through what she felt were like the gates of hell.

* * *

Saturday, 10.02 in the morning, Taichi stood outside Yamato's front door. He couldn't escape this particular study group session because it was a Saturday and they knew that he didn't have soccer practice. He rang the doorbell. Yamato opened the door.

"You're late," was the only phrase he said before opening the door wider.

"Sorry," replied Taichi, not really meaning it. He shook off all the snow on his clothes before going in.

* * *

Mimi frowned.

Sora frowned.

Taichi sat on Yamato's bed and prepared himself to fall asleep.

Yamato went to refill their cups.

"Mimi, don't tell me you forgot all your kanji?" asked Sora warily, even though she sort of guessed the answer already.

Mimi shrugged. Groaning, Sora leaned back. Even _she_ couldn't help this time. Her dear Americanized friend had just couldn't, _wouldn't _remember her native language. A pair of grayish blue eyes came into her view. He smiled and passed her a glass of water.

All this Mimi watched with much interest, even though she tried to hide it. She wished with all her might that the blond would do the same, but _her _glass of water was placed on the table in front of her without much emotion.

A snore could be heard from a particular bush of hair hidden under Yamato's blanket. As usual, he was smacked and kicked off the bed.

"Get off my bed, sucker. We're supposed to be _studying. _And _helping _Mimi," muttered Yamato, tidying up his sheets. There was no response from the other party, who had started drooling on the floor. Sighing, the blond made a mental note never to ask Taichi to come for study group sessions again.

"And Mimi, at least make some effort to _learn_… You're tiring Sora out," Yamato said, glancing at Sora, whose eyebrows were knitted together.

* * *

It all happened in an instant. Mimi got up from her seat, knocking over her glass of water and slapped Yamato.** Hard.**

The clock ticked loudly as an awkward silence settled around them. Mimi started packing her things silently and murmured a soft apology before dashing out of the door. Sora stared after her, stunned. The victim touched his cheek. It still stung. Under a stack of cushions, Taichi opened an eyelid.

Outside, the snow was falling, heavier than before.

* * *

_To readers: I think I made them a little OOC this time. I don't know why I keep on making Taichi fall asleep! And this is **not **a Sorato hate-fic. Anyway, there's a certain silver button down there waiting for you to click it and review._

* * *

_Revised: 16th September 2007 __  
_


	3. Interlude

_Author's notes: As this is an interlude, it is shorter than the other chapters. This chapter is mostly Hikari's thoughts, a break from Mimi's bitching and Taichi's sleeping. Yay._

_To Kaye: OOC stands for Out Of Character. _

* * *

Hikari gazed at her brother's retreating shadow from the kitchen. The house was so dark, so empty. Otou-san was coming home late yet again. He hadn't even bothered to call home this time.

_Beep,_ went the phone as she checked the messages.

_There are no messages._

Okaa-san had finally given up on them. Each time she called, the children had to speak to her in hushed tones, hidden under the security of their blankets. If their father ever found out, they would be dead meat. Once, he'd even thrown the phone out of the window when he was drunk.

Hikari couldn't understand it. Her parents had been so loving just a few years ago. Now they seemed to be at war with each other. Her mother once told her that when there was no love left in the relationship, it was no use trying to salvage it.

And that was the reason why she never tried to make Takeru change his mind, because she knew.

_He doesn't love me anymore._

A plate crashed as it hit the floor. Hikari winced at the noise. Her brother poked his head out of their bedroom door to check it if she was all right, then closed it again. She smiled a little while picking up the shards of porcelain. At least _someone _still cared.

The pieces of plate made loud clanging sounds as she threw them, one by one, into the rubbish bin. At last, she came to the last piece. Ever so slowly, Hikari drew a line across her wrist with the shattered porcelain.

_Once. _

_Twice. _

_Thrice. _

Bright red blood trickled down her hand and dripped into the sink.

She felt the physical pain rising up in her, erasing her emotional pain and hurt, making her feel as though she was _alive _again.

* * *

"Hikari, you okay?" asked a figure standing in the hallway. She shook herself back to reality and ran her bleeding wrist under tap water.

_Ouch._

Somehow this pain was quite different from the previous one.

"I'm fine, Onii-chan," she replied quickly, before he walked into the kitchen. After a moment's hesitation, she heard his footsteps die away and the click of a shutting door.

She looked out of the window and for a while, just a split second, the falling snow seemed to be the colour of blood.

* * *

Hikari was up early the next morning, as usual. She was glad that their winter uniform had extraordinarily long sleeves because they hid the bandages she had used to cover her wounds.

Leaving a note on her brother's lunchbox, she left the house quietly.

* * *

The roads were slippery due to last night's heavy downfall of snow. Still, people didn't expect an accident to happen on the safe roads of Odaiba.

* * *

She had seen the car coming towards her. She knew that there had been enough time for her to move away.

And yet, she had stood frozen in the middle of the road, not because she was too shocked to react, but because she _wanted_ to be there.

Although the driver tried hard to swerve his car around, the impact still sent the girl flying into the air. Passers-by said it was the most serious accident they had ever seen and they pitied the poor schoolgirl who was too frightened to budge.

But Hikari knew, as she felt the full impact of the hit. She knew she had _wanted_ this to happen.

* * *

Taichi got out of bed feeling very strange. As he groped his way around the room, he saw the Crest of Light lying on Hikari's bed. There seemed to be a sort of pulsing glow around it.

Once, twice, thrice, it pulsed. Then the glow disappeared altogether.

He didn't really know what was going on here, but Taichi flew out of the house in search for his little sister.

* * *

_To readers: I can't believe I just transformed Hikari into a suicidal maniac. Argh. Anyway, tell me if she should die or be saved in time. Hikari-fans, please don't hate me!! She just seemed to be the correct person to be angsting. I promise, next chapter won't be so gloomy. Please review._

* * *

_Revised: 16th September 2007 __  
_


	4. Mothdust

_Author's notes: Hi, I'm back. I'm not very sure myself why I named the chapter Mothdust. It just felt appropriate because everyone's shattering and their wings are disintegrating… into dust. _

_To shadowcat: I'm mentally sound. I think. I am an ardent fan of Takari, but sadly it doesn't come into existence in this fic…_

* * *

The weather forecast said that it wouldn't snow today.

Yet somehow, as Taichi sat outside the Emergency Room in the hospital, he could see the light, feather-like snow floating down the sky through the large window before him. He felt like throwing a chair at the window and hearing the glass shatter.

All around him was blank walls, blank floors and blank ceilings. He couldn't stand the blankness of everything. They were so white, so piercing, so like _snow. _

He just needed something to blame.

* * *

Mimi wondered why everyone looked so bleak the next day. The weather was a little better than before, and she had passed her Japanese test, even if it was just by a single mark. She hadn't forgotten her little incident in which she got to slap a certain blonde, but those present at the scene seemed to have forgotten the whole matter. And so she didn't bring it up.

Sora's eyes were flooding with tears as she looked up from Yamato's arms. Strangely, Mimi didn't feel like strangling her this time, most probably because she was too puzzled.

"Um... What happened?" the younger girl asked cautiously, peering at her seniors, both huddled together.

His ice-grey eyes met hers.

She winced.

_Hadn't seen that look for too long a time._ She'd forgotten the intensity of his gaze. But somehow she knew his grieving wasn't for her.

* * *

When she learnt that Hikari could _die_ any moment, the first thing that she thought of was how Taichi was taking it. She realized that he wasn't at the lunch table with them as he usually was.

Her heart felt like it was wrenching apart. Although some of the digidestined hadn't been in contact with each other, Mimi felt that they still shared that particular bond which nothing could sever; even when a few broken hearts were involved.

Unlike Sora, she couldn't express her pain aloud in her actions or words. It could also possibly be due to the fact that she didn't have anyone to cradle her in his arms and give her comfort.

As she sat in the bathtub watching the water spill out slowly, she closed her eyes and saw those piercing eyes again. Those aloof, grey eyes. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped on to the edges of the bathtub and plunged her whole body into the lukewarm water.

* * *

Taichi hated the smell of hospitals. After all, most of his experiences in this desolate place weren't very pleasant. He sat on a chair next to his sister's hospital bed. Hikari had lapsed into a coma, but at least her life was out of danger. The chair was hard and cold, but he was too numb to feel it.

As he watched his sister's chest rise up and down slowly, he wondered what was going through her mind now. Or she had wanted this – to live a life where there was no happiness, no anger, no pain, no sorrow. The serene expression on her still face seemed to prove this right. Silently, he walked out of the room so that he wouldn't disturb her in the world that she wished for.

* * *

The stench of _sake_ hung in the air. Taichi pushed the unlocked door to his house open cautiously. A glass bottle came sailing through the air without warning. It crashed into the potted plants along the corridor. The weary boy trudged past his drunken father to get a broom and clean up the mess created. On his way back to the glass splinters, the older man grabbed his son by the front of his shirt.

Taichi looked back rather indifferently. Within his brown eyes, the spark that was once there had been distinguished entirely.

His father delivered a punch across his face which left him staggering despite his strong physique. Then another came, into his stomach, his arms, until he was left lying on the ground, quite bruised.

He tasted copper. Blood dripped down his whole face and stained his vision. He didn't retaliate, even though he had the ability to. There was no anger in him, nor was there any fear. There was simply acceptance. His father blamed him for what happened to Hikari and he accepted it; he took the blame upon himself already anyway.

There were more crashes of bottles breaking before the door was slammed shut, making the whole apartment shake. It was a wonder the neighbors didn't come over and tear their house down.

Taichi winced as he tried to get up. He swayed about for a few steps before collapsing like a crumpled doll into the couch.

* * *

Mimi wondered why she was doing this. Armed with a scarf and umbrella, she marched all the way to the Yagami household. It was nearing to ten o'clock at night and the streets already seemed dead. Gathering her coat around her, she told herself this was for Hikari. Her boots went "crunch" into the hardened snow gathered on the road.

* * *

He wasn't out cold; just extremely worn-out. Literally. The blood seemed to have stopped flowing down, at least. It was strange that he found it much more difficult to fall asleep in his own home. The couch wasn't very comfortable, he discovered after half an hour.

* * *

Her hazel-nut hair rustled as she pressed the doorbell. No one answered. She looked down, and realized that there were blood stains on the floor together with shattered glass. Thoughts running wild, Mimi pushed against the door with all her might. It flew open with a loud bang.

Light from the streetlights streamed into the house. She walked through the pieces of glass and kneeled down next to the slumped figure on the couch. Ever so gently, she touched his damaged face. There was a slight flicker of emotion in those dead chocolate eyes and suddenly he held her in embrace, in the shadowy living room.

"I'm tired," he murmured into her ear softly. She smelt like cinnamon. She felt crushed within his grip, yet she didn't flinch or move away.

* * *

The both of them clung onto each other; two broken souls, for comfort, because they had no one else to turn to. Mimi felt tears rolling down her face, and the ache in her heart increasing. She felt that it was odd. The numbness and indifference seemed to be slowly melting away. In place of these was the pain she had kept hidden within her inner self from a long time ago, when she had tried escaping from reality. Slowly, she released it bit by bit, until she felt a whole wave of emotions rushing at her. Somehow, this seemed to feel better than not feeling at all.

* * *

He held onto her, as if she was his only lifeline.

* * *

Mimi had never been close to him, even when they were in the digiworld. They had been just too _different_. He was the strong-headed leader; she was the prissy little princess who was too afraid to dirty her fair hands. When they were back in their own world, she was seldom with the rest of the gang because her family was in America. Even then, he thought little of her weird hairstyles and dressing sense. He knew she couldn't care less about him as well.

* * *

Yet somehow, bent down in the dim room entwined into each other, both of them felt more comforted, and less vulnerable to the harsh reality outside. No longer was each individual alone. As long as _someone _believed in them, that was enough.

* * *

"Rest well," Mimi replied as softly as he did, smiling a true smile for the first time in a long while.

* * *

Outside, snow fell, but unlike before, it fell gently.

* * *

_To readers: Hmm, that was pretty wordy. Not much dialogue. I have decided to keep Hikari alive because she's such a great character. I'm not very good at emotional scenes, so please forgive me. This fic is probably coming to a close soon, so please keep watch! As usual, please review._

* * *

_Revised: 16th September 2007 __  
_


	5. Snow

_Author's notes: Yay, the closing chapter up at last! I feel kinda sad though, since this is the end of my first Digimon fanfic. I named this chapter Snow, after the title._

* * *

Winter ended rather abruptly.

It stopped snowing at around 2 a.m. in the morning.

And then it was spring.

* * *

Mimi took out her new uniform and examined it closely. Okaa-san had put too much starch on it. True enough, the whole thing stood up when she put it on. It crackled as she moved around the house. She reminded herself never to allow her mother to wash her uniform for her ever again.

* * *

Hikari sat in her hospital bed and looked out of the window. The nice nurse had granted her request of the bed beside the window. The snow was melting away and buds of flowers were beginning to sprout. She heard a bird twitter in the distance.

Spring had always been her favorite season. After all, it _is _the season of life. Reaching out, she touched her crest gently. Onii-chan had placed it next to her when she was still unconscious. Perhaps this had helped to pull her away from the foolish darkness she had been collapsing into.

Blond hair and a radiant smile which brightened up her life. She still felt that pang of sadness in her heart whenever she thought of him. Broken hearts take time to heal, after all. She held her crest in her hand and let the warmth fill up her whole body.

Outside, one could see the beginnings of _sakura_.

* * *

The alarm clock hit the floor with a loud crash. A certain brown-haired person tumbled out of bed in a mess of sheets and pillows. It did not help that he had chosen to sleep on the upper bunk last night.

Rubbing the swelling bump on his head, Taichi scrambled up sleepily and stared out of the window absentmindedly. Out of habit, perhaps. It wasn't snowing anymore. He smiled properly for the first time in years, however slight it was.

* * *

It is surprising how fast flowers take to bloom. Perhaps they are just too eager, after remaining dormant for such a long time.

Mimi liked the colour pink. She liked flowers too. Therefore, she liked _sakura _petals very much indeed, especially when they came drifting down in the soft spring breeze. Anyone walking through the school gates would have seen a slender girl twirling in and out of the _sakura_ trees in sheer delight, not even bothering to pick the petals out of her hazelnut hair.

Sora laughed at her friend's actions, not spitefully. She knew Mimi's obsession with flowers very well. Despite the awkward glances from passers-by, she strode over, armed with the school's most popular and wanted blond male.

It seemed as though Ishida Yamato gave off cold vibes wherever he went. Mimi could feel his presence from a meter away. She stopped her ridiculous spinning and stared right into his sharp grey eyes.

_That's right, Mimi. You just have to confront your fears and everything will be all right. _

Strangely, as she thought this, an image of their goggle-headed leader popped into her head. She giggled and suddenly, the icy atmosphere was broken.

_You're not formidable anymore, you stupid piece of eye candy! _she said inwardly, rather satisfied by her feat. She realized that upon staring, those intense eyes weren't as scary as she'd imagined them to be.

* * *

As usual, Taichi was late for class. It was so frequent that the sensei forgot to give him detention. Not that he was _all that_ interested in coordinate geometry anyway. _Sakura_ petals floated lightly past the window and onto the ground. If one didn't look properly, the falling flowers really seemed to be snow, except that they didn't dissolve to nothingness when they touched the floor.

* * *

"Mimi!" he called out to the klutzy girl.

He could see the change in her. She seemed to have lightened herself of a heavy load, somehow. She skipped around, her pigtails swinging about her face, and grinned. Her hyper ness was infectious. A few minutes later, he found himself twirling amidst the blossoms drifting down from the trees as well.

* * *

Hikari opened her eyes slightly. She could hear hushed tones all around her. Really, she wished people would learn how to tell when she was _really _sleeping or faking it. All the same, she rather liked listening to the quiet chatter that always seemed to come during visiting hours. It was louder than usual. Good; she liked visitors.

When she decided to announce to the rest of the world that she was fully awake, she saw only her older brother and Mimi. Although crestfallen, she tried her utmost to hide the disappointment which was spreading throughout her face. Yet, she still couldn't rid herself of the feeling that today's visit would be slightly different from the norm.

And she was quite right.

* * *

Walking in rather hesitantly was Okaa-san and Otou-san. They weren't holding hands or even showing any sign that they were husband and wife but the point was, they were_ there. Together. _

She didn't expect them to hug and make up suddenly in front of her; it was too unrealistic. The mere fact that her parents had bothered to come within a few inches of each other _just_ _for her _was enough.

Hikari felt herself dissolve into tears as her mother cuddled her. It was a long time since she'd felt that familiar warmth of her mother. Otou-san sat beside her, looking so relieved and _gentle_, like before. It was then that Hikari grasped that she really missed family warmth. She promised herself and everyone else who believed in her that she would never do such an irrational act ever again. Through her tears, she saw the hazy figures of her brother and her friend step out of the room.

* * *

"Hikari-chan seems happy," Mimi remarked, as she pranced alongside Taichi. He made no attempt to answer.

The air outside was still cold, since it wasn't fully spring yet. They strolled out of the hospital and went down the pavement lined with _sakura _trees. Mimi jumped onto a wooden bench right in front of her companion with a displeased expression on her face.

"Yagami Taichi, you are going to stop sulking and acting like a baby **right now**, do you get me?" she barked in an authoritative tone; and Miss Priss always _did _seem to get her way.

This time, it didn't seem to work. He walked past her indifferently, with the same blank expression stuck on his face. Growling, Mimi walked off in the most dignified manner she could muster and declared to herself rather loudly that she would not bother herself with such useless people.

* * *

Suddenly, there was pitch blackness as someone stuffed a scarf or some sort of thing made of cloth over her head. She was lifted up just slightly over the ground and spun around, all over the park.

"You're really light," the someone commented. When Mimi made sure she could move her hands without falling off the moving object she was on, she yanked the piece of cloth off her head and turned to see a grinning Taichi on the verge of laughing.

"**LET GO OF ME, IDIOT!**" she yelled, causing many heads to turn. Taichi raised his eyebrows and let go off the trolley she was on.

That caused quite a bit of commotion as the hazel-haired girl shrieked and tried to stop herself from crashing into a tree at the same time. Just before the wheels knocked into a crack in the pavement, Taichi grabbed hold of the handles again and escorted her back to safety.

"You are never, ever, going to do that again," said Mimi, breathless, fuming and grabbing onto the side of the trolley. His brown eyes twinkled in the darkness as they went for another round of spinning.

Those watching would have seen two maniacal teenagers, one sitting on a trolley and screeching, and the other laughing his head off, whirling through and fro the _sakura _trees in the park.

* * *

"Yamato, isn't it weird that _both _Taichi and Mimi fell sick on the same day? The weather last night wasn't all that bad…" Sora said to the blond thoughtfully.

He shrugged.

"Lots of things can happen in one night," he muttered simply.

* * *

As time goes by, spring will be over, and winter will be at the doorstep again. Falling snow in the cold, painful winter. But it isn't so bad now, because they don't have to endure it alone anymore.

Broken hearts take time to heal; for some a season of winter is enough.

* * *

_end. _

* * *

_To readers: Well, that's the end. I hoped you guys liked it. I'm surprised it ended Michi/Taimi though. This chapter is so bright and cheery and different from the rest of the angst. One can't be gloomy all the time, I guess. :) Kudos to Fruits Basket, which gave me the idea of snow melting into spring. Thanks to all those who have been reviewing this fic. Cookies for all of you!_

* * *

_Revised: 16th September 2007 __  
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